China Plans Next Moon Probe in 2017

China said on Monday it was on track to launch a fifth lunar probe with the aim of bringing back lunar soil and rock samples following the successful moon landing of a space probe.

BEIJING: China said on Monday it was on track to launch a fifth lunar probe with the aim of bringing back lunar soil and rock samples following the successful moon landing of a space probe.

The new mission planned for 2017 would mark the third and final phase of China's robotic lunar exploration programme and pave the way for possibly landing an astronaut on the moon after 2020.

On Saturday, Chang'e 3 set down on the moon, marking the first soft landing of a space probe on the lunar surface in 37 years. The landing vehicle will conduct scientific research for a year and its accompanying rover will survey the moon's structure and probe for natural resources.

A challenge for both is to withstand temperatures ranging from 120 C (248 Fahrenheit) to minus 180 C (minus 184 F), said Wu Zhijian, spokesman for the state administration of science, technology and industry for national defense. Chang'e 4 is intended to be an improved version of the Chang'e 3 that will pave the way for the fifth probe.

First explored by the former Soviet Union and the United States in the 1960s and 70s, the moon has become the subject of renewed interest, even as the focus shifts to Mars exploration.

The US Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is currently circling the moon to detail its features and resources as a prelude to building a lunar outpost. In 2009, India's lunar orbiter, the Chandrayaan-1, detected water on the moon. Two years earlier, Japan sent a spacecraft to orbit it.

"People have started saying we're looking for water and we're looking for minerals and it's becoming a much more interesting place to go to," said Peter Bond, consultant editor for Jane's Space Systems and Industry.

"Especially for new countries like China and India who are testing out new technologies - it's an ideal place to practice these before they go to Mars and beyond."